Installation issues

Questions and answers about 3Dconnexion devices on Windows.

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RasmusB
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Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:24 am

Installation issues

Post by RasmusB »

Just recieved my SpaceNavigator PE. I downloaded the latest drivers (not the beta drivers) from the homepage. The installation ran smoothly.

However, when I try to use it (for example the "Chicken" demo) anything I do (including a light touch) results in a violent spin - always in the same direction no matter how i moved the device. I tried changing the sensitivity settings etc, but it makes no difference.

Finally, I tested the device on my laptop. This time I used the drivers supplied on the CD, and everything worked prefectly...

So I uninstalled the driver from my desktop computer, and reinstalled everything from the CD. However, the problem persists. Any motion (even a light tap!) spins the demo out of control for 1.5-2 seconds, and then it stops.

Needless to say, I cant use it for anyting. How do I solve this?

Edit: I have also pressed "Calibrate" while not touching the controller. Didn't help.
ghannigan
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2006 11:31 am

Post by ghannigan »

It's always a good idea to give details regarding the computer - PC, Mac, OS, video card, application, etc. in addition to a description of the problem.

gh
RasmusB
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:24 am

Post by RasmusB »

Thanks for reminding.

PC, 2.4 GHz P4
1 GB RAM
GeForce GT6600
Windows XP Professional

The problem does not seem to be related to any specific application, the device behaves the same in all demo applications, google earth and solidworks.
ghannigan
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2006 11:31 am

Post by ghannigan »

Does reducing the overall speed in the 3Dconnexion Control Panel have any effect? I have mine set very low because I would lose control in Google Earth & Cinema 4D.

gh
RasmusB
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:24 am

Post by RasmusB »

To quote my first post:
I tried changing the sensitivity settings etc, but it makes no difference.
With "sensitivity settings" I meant both the speed settings for the individual axis as well as the "overall speed". Sorry if I was unclear.

I really don't think this problem is related to my settings. On my laptop everything worked perfectly OOTB, but on my desktop it does not behave in the same way. Also remember that ANY motion on the controller makes it spin oncontrollably for 1-2 seconds. Even if i accidentaly bump into the base (not the control knob!) it spins away - and in the same direction every time, regardless of what I'm actually doing.

Therefore I bevlieve this has to do with some drivers acting up on my system. It might possibly be some kind of conflict with my drawning tablet (even if it's not connected at the same time), since both are identified by windows as "HID-compliant Consumer control device. I will try to uninstall this and see what happens.

Edit: Nope, uninstalling the tablet didn't help.
ghannigan
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2006 11:31 am

Post by ghannigan »

Sorry, I missed that in your earlier post. It does sound like a conflict, that's never fun! Are they connected thru a USB hub?
RasmusB
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:24 am

Post by RasmusB »

No hub. I've disconnected the tablet, only the navigator is connected. It is connected directly to the computer, and I have tried 3 different ports with the same results.
ghannigan
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2006 11:31 am

Post by ghannigan »

Well, I'm stumped - any moderator thoughts on this one?
jwick
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Post by jwick »

It sounds like a driver conflict. Uninstall the tablet software and any other USB/HID-related drivers (one at a time to see which one is conflicting). I recall something in the past about conflicts with Wacom drivers.

Jim
3Dx Software Development
RasmusB
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Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:24 am

Post by RasmusB »

I'm stumped as well. I have unistalled everything that is not a mouse or spacenavigator. It makes no difference :(

The tablet is Trust, not Wacom. But since they both have similar functionality i guess those drivers could be the cause of the problem as well...

Do you know of a way to completely remove the Trust drivers from my system? If I plug my tablet in now, it is recognized and installed - thus it's drivers must be left somewhere? Where do I look?
ghannigan
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2006 11:31 am

Post by ghannigan »

Right click on MY Computer, select Manage. Expand System Tools, Device Manager, Human Interface Devices. Double click on the Tablet in the list. Select the Driver Tab, click on the Uninstall Button to remove the driver.

Which Trust tablet are you using? The Trust website has a driver update page: http://www.trust.com/service/download/drivers.aspx

There may be a newer driver available for yours.

Note that if you connect the tablet after removing the Trust driver, Windows may try to install a generic driver when it detects the new hardware. Check the install info for the tablet.

Did the laptop have the tablet installed?
RasmusB
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:24 am

Post by RasmusB »

Yeah, I've done that. I assumed that it used the same drivers when I plugged it in again, but on closer inspection it is Microsoft's generic driver that kicks in when I plug in the tablet. So it seems that the Trust drivers are indeed gone.

The laptop has never had the tablet installed. It is a Wireless Scroll Tablet.

This is what I find on closer inspection:

First we can see that the device is recognized as a SpaceNavigator:
Image

And this is the driver reported by Windows. Is this correct, or should som propetiary driver show up here?
Image
ghannigan
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Dec 18, 2006 11:31 am

Post by ghannigan »

My Device Manager shows the same info as your post. Have you tried the Navigator after disconnecting the tablet & uninstalling the tablet driver? If it works, try using the latest driver from Trust. Check the Trust install sequence to prevent the generic Windows driver from loading.
I'm not recommending fiddling with the Registry, but when I update my video drivers, I have to go into the Registry to remove some remaining files related to the card and delete any files & folders in my Programs folder. It's frustrating because we don't know if the tablet is causing the problem and don't want to make things worse.
RasmusB
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:24 am

Post by RasmusB »

Yeah, I have disconnected the tablet and uninstalled the drivers. No difference to the navigator. Soon I'll format the hard disk out of pure frustration... :cry:
RasmusB
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:24 am

Post by RasmusB »

Ok, this was the last drop. I have concidered formatting for a while (and also to swap my motherboard), and now I finally got around to doing it.

The device works beautifully now. Thanks for all your help, too bad we couldn't find a more elegant solution...
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